


No Big Deal

by Jepshe



Series: Being friends [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Smut, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:27:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23050948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jepshe/pseuds/Jepshe
Summary: "You can have sex with a friend," Gendry mutters.Arya's fingers still for a moment."I know."
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Series: Being friends [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656535
Comments: 63
Kudos: 214





	1. Let’s go

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to Can’t help. If you haven’t read that one then maybe you might wanna read all of this first. Or not, you do as you like.

“I need to get laid,” Arya sighs as she slides down on the booth.

“For god’s sake I do not want to hear this,” Jon mutters covering his eyes with his hands.

“Oh come on, stop the hypocritical act. You know I’ve had sex,” she rolls her eyes.

“You can have sex, I just don’t want to talk about it with you,” Jon mumbles. Ygritte pats his shoulder in a mockingly comforting way.

Arya shakes her head and catches a glance at Gendry sitting next to her. He seems a bit bothered by this particular conversation, too, although she can’t really figure out why it should be bothering him. It’s not like she’s _his_ sister.

Her contemplation is interrupted by the loud exclamation of “What’s up bitches” that is Meera’s way of saying hello as she appears standing next to the table.

Ygritte is the first to respond.

“Arya’s lack of sex life.”

“Well I’m right here,” Meera says, smirking. “You know me, always there for you when you need me honey.”

Arya grins right back at her and stands up to greet her friend with a hug.

“I thought you had a date tonight?” she asks as she sits down.

Meera nods.

“Yes, but I don’t have such high hopes for it. You just text me and I’ll ditch the date. You’re way hotter than her anyways and you know you’d have more fun with me than any of these miserable losers here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Arya promises laughing at her friend.

Jon still looks unhappy and is shaking his head.

“Don't really care to hear about your sex life either, Meera, you’re too much like a sister, too.”

“Oh stop with the double-standard already,” Arya tells him.

“Not a double-standard,” Jon insists. “I don’t want to know any details of Gendry’s sex life either.

“Don’t think Gendry’s sex life has any details so that’s really no excuse,” Meera replies.

Arya chuckles and turns to look at the man.

Next to her, Gendry is looking like something between awkward and exasperated.

“Don’t be too hard on him Meera, we have seen him with girls. I’m sure he can get all the grumpy sex he wants,” Arya laughs. Gendry seems more and more tired of the conversation, but all he does is shake his head and mutter something about Arya and Meera being insufferable, which only causes the women in question to shrug their shoulders.

Meera checks her phone.

“I really need to get going, just wanted to stop by and say hi,” she explains and leans down to give Arya a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Remember what I said, Stark! Always there for you,” she says over her shoulder as she starts walking away.

“I’ll text you later!” Arya yells after her.

When she turns back to the table Jon and Gendry still seem bothered and Gendry looks like he might want to ask something.

“Oh come on you little wimps, get over yourselves,” Arya tells them and stands up.

“Ygritte, let’s go get more drinks and see if there’s someone at the bar who’s more fun than these two.”

“So you and Meera are hooking up?” Gendry asks Arya as they stand under a roof in front of a shop, waiting for the rain to pass and Arya taps on her phone. The light drizzle from when they left the bar has suddenly turned into a full shower.

Arya laughs at him.

"No we're not."

"But she said…"

Arya rolls her eyes.

"That's just Meera being Meera, you know how she is. She’s my friend.”

"You can have sex with a friend," Gendry mutters.

Arya's fingers still for a moment.

"I know. But I'm still not having sex with Meera so just… Stop obsessing about it."

Arya looks at the rain. It doesn't show any signs of stopping and it's starting to feel chilly with her clothes damp.

"Wanna take a spurt to my place?" she asks.

Gendry considers it for a second before he nods and takes Arya’s hand in his own.

"Let's go."

"Bring your clothes here so they won't drench the whole place”, Arya tells Gendry as she walks in her apartment, kicking off her shoes and walking straight to her bathroom, shedding her jacket as she goes.

Gendry follows her and when Arya gets a good look at him in the bright light of the bathroom she sees just how much damage the rain has done to him. There doesn't seem to be a dry inch in any of his clothing. Where Arya's own leather jacket has at least kept most of her shirt reasonably dry, Gendry looks like he's been swimming with his clothes on.

"I'll see if I have something you can wear. You have to get out of those or you're getting sick."

Arya slowly peels of her own wet jeans, the action harder than usual as the wet fabric doesn't slide off her legs like it usually does. She starts hanging her jacket and jeans to dry when she notices Gendry standing still.

"What are you doing?" she asks him. "Get your clothes off."

Arya walks out of the room before Gendry has time to respond.

When she comes back a minute later, clad in a t-shirt that reaches her thighs, Gendry is sitting on the edge of the bathtub wearing only his briefs, looking awkward.

“I don’t have any pants that would fit you but I think this is going to be okay,” Arya tells him, handing out the biggest t-shirt she could find in her closet. As he takes the shirt from her, her eyes roam over his upper body and some part of her brain can’t help but notice just how nice those arms and that chest look.

Gendry examines the shirt with a sceptical look.

“Is this Jon’s?” he asks “You do realise I’m much bigger than him.”

“Well don’t wear it then, what do I care. But you’re not getting on my couch with those wet briefs either so you might as well get rid of those, too,” Arya tells him. Gendry raises his eyebrows at her.

“This is starting to sound like you just want me getting naked,” he points out.

“Just don’t want you ruining my couch.”

“You want me sleeping naked on your couch then?” he asks with smirk.

Arya shrugs as casually as she can.

“You can sleep in my bed if you want.”

There’s a questioning look on his face as his eyes lock on hers, his lips curving into a small smile.

“Naked?”

She meets his eyes with a similar small smile, cocking her head to the side just a bit.

“You’re the one who said friends can sleep together,” she says like it’s nothing, wanting to see how he decides to interpret her words.

The edges of his lips inch up just the tiniest bit as he studies her. Suddenly, it feels like the whole atmosphere has shifted.

He looks at her carefully from his perch on the side of her bathtub. She raises one eyebrow in a question. For a long moment they just look at each other, silently weighing the situation, trying to decipher if the other one is actually insinuating what they think they are.

The excitement building up in the pit of stomach forces Arya to finally take her eyes off his. She steps just a little bit closer, swallowing.

Gendry's there, his chest rising and falling, somehow so very different than he was just a few moments ago. He’s _there_ , in just his briefs, in her bathroom, looking at her with his blue eyes that at the moment seem darker than usual and she doesn’t seem to be able to take her eyes away from him. So she just leans closer, places her hand on his shoulder and kisses him.

It’s almost just a peck, their lips just brushing against each other, melding together for a couple of seconds before she pulls back a couple of inches. She stays there, near him, for a second before she meets his eyes again. They are dark and staring at her. And then he lowers his gaze and his hands are on her waist, pulling her back for a deeper kiss.

Arya winds both her hands around his neck, fingers dipping in to the hair in his neck. Gendry’s other hand moves from her waist to cradle her side, his thumb brushing the underside of her breast while his other hand slides slower to hold her hip, fingers drawing circles that make her dizzy.

She pulls on his hair lightly, and the groan Gendry makes has heath pooling to her core. The muscles on her abdomen tense from anticipation as his hand slides down between her legs to stroke her through her panties that are already starting to feel damp even though she's the one who just changed into dry ones.

She sucks at his lower lip, releasing it as she places her forehead against his, panting. He tries chasing her lips with his but she only lets him have a peck before she speaks.

“We should move this to the bedroom,” is all she manages before she needs to kiss him again because his hand is still cupping her and it’s hard to think about anything else.

Gasping for air she pushes herself away from him and pulls at his hand without words. Once they reach her bedroom she swirls around only to have his arms immediately thrown around her, pulling her closer again and kissing her sloppily, desperately, as if they had been separated for much longer than those few seconds it took them to cross the hall.

Arya doesn't really have time to register what is actually happening, she just notices Gendry has somehow pushed her leaning against her dresser and he's on his knees in front of her, t-shirt bunched up with the hands that are holding her hips, his mouth kissing her through her panties and she needs to hold tight onto the dresser to stay on her feet.

His lips, _oh_ _my_ _lord_ _his_ _lips_ , are quickly making her legs feel powerless and her breath catch on her throat and she’s pretty sure he can already taste her through her panties even though this definitely is not enough.

“Fuck,” she hisses.

“You good?” Gendry whispers leaning back, looking up at her.

“Yeah,” she says, breathless, pulling him up to kiss her lips. They stumble to the bed and then he’s hovering above her, his body covering her, his hips pressing into her in the best possible way.

He feels strong and solid and steady on her and the thought crosses her mind that this is Gendry, her friend who she has known forever. It’s Gendry who’s moving his hand to grab her hip and pull it flush against him in a move that makes her feel just how much he wants this, too, but it doesn’t feel like it’s the same person who was just sulking at the pub earlier this evening. It doesn’t feel like this is the same person who was feeling awkward just to hear her talking about sex.

He feels strong and solid and steady and his hands are so firm when they touch her that Arya doesn’t really care too much how long they have known each other, she just wants to lose herself in him and the way he is touching her.

Her hands go to the waistband of his briefs, still wet from the rain and she starts pulling them down, leaving behind cold skin which seems to turn warm the second she touches it. He sits up enough the remove his shorts completely and then he’s pulling her shirt over her head. Once it’s gone his lips are back on her skin, moving down her neck.

His lips move quickly lower, as if reading her impatient mind, but when he reaches her hipbone he slows down, taking his time kissing the top of her thighs, moving along the edge of her panties, sucking on the sensitive skin on the inside of her thigh, making her hips buck.

Between catching her breath and trying to still her hips she can’t help thinking he’s being so very _Gendry_. His typical, stubborn self, always so intent on teasing her and taking his time with everything he does when he knows just how impatient she is. And it’s proving to be true in this situation, too, their roles staying the same even if this particular interaction is new to them.

Arya won’t beg him, that she absolutely will not do, but she does reach for her nightstand, making Gendry stop his ministrations when her whole body slides slightly to the side as she opens the drawer and searches for a condom. It’s all the hinting he needs and once she’s found what she looked for he finally loops his fingers on the fabric on her hips, pulls her underwear off and takes the condom from her hand.

The tip of him rubs on her a few times and then he's finally sliding in her, filling her in a way that makes it impossible not to grind herself against him right away.

The sound he makes, a mix of a moan and a grunt, almost makes the whole thing too much to bear but then he starts moving, slow, long movements at first, making her walls clench around him uncontrollably. She feels her heartbeat where they are joined, already delirious with the feel of him as his thrust begin to pick up speed but then his finger starts rubbing on her clit and the light starts bursting behind her eyelids that she has closed at some point.

His weight, pressing her to the mattress, his voice muttering swear words in her ear - and somewhere, between the curses, her name like a choked up prayer - his cock, feeling so hard and so, so perfect. All she can do is push a long breath of air out of her lungs as her orgasm washes over her.

She faintly registers him pushing in a few times, grunting, taking some deep breaths and then his movements stilling as he too tries to come back to his senses.

Arya wakes up to the ringing of her phone. She reaches out her hand to silence the damn thing but her body is weighed down by a heavy arm that's draped around her, holding her close to the warm mass of…

Damn.

She feels fully awake suddenly, remembering who exactly it is who's holding her and what it was that happened before she fell asleep.

Arya finally grasps her phone, tapping at it, trying to silence the alarm only to realise it is not her alarm that's going off, it's a call coming in and that the screens says "Sansa".

"Oh fuck I'm sorry!" she greets her sister, sitting up. She dares a glance at her side while she listens to Sansa’s scolding.

Gendry is stirring up beside her, rubbing his eyes with his hand and Arya tries to focus on her sister again.

"Yeah, I'll be there, it won't take long," she promises, running her hand through her hair, sighing when her sister ends her rant and the call. Gendry is sitting now, too, his hair ruffled from sleep. His eyes are full of questions and emotions Arya doesn't have time to dwell on now.

"I have to run," she tells him. "Promised to meet Sansa and I'm going to be late," she explains, getting off the bed, grabbing some clothes and heading to the bathroom without another word.

Shit, shit, _shit_ this is going to be awkward, she thinks as she washes her hair as quickly as she can. His clothes are laid around the room as a reminder of last night, as if she could have forgotten it otherwise. As if there is any way she could forget the way his hands held onto her or how his lips moved on her skin or… She wills her mind to stop. Now is certainly not the time.

Gendry is quiet as she emerges from the bathroom and starts putting more clothes on.

"Is it okay if I just go?” she asks. “You can stay as long as you like or… Well, I don't know, iron your clothes or something if they're not dry yet, or…"

She's rambling, she knows, and she needs to stop it.

She looks up at Gendry, gathering up all her confidence. Friends can have sex, that's what he had said. So it's no big deal. They're both adults, and single, and it was fun, so what's there to be worried about, really?

"Sansa's going to kill me if I don't get going already," she smiles at him. And encouraged by that inner pep talk of hers Arya takes a couple of steps towards him and stands on her tiptoes, holds onto his shoulder and gives a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Make sure you get the door properly closed when you leave," she tells him as she grabs her jacket and purse, waves her hand and walks out the door.


	2. Just doing what we always do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it’s just an accident, she thinks. They are, after all, sitting in a pretty tight circle. There’s not that much space and Sansa is sitting almost as close to her on the other side after all. Maybe she's imagining it all, this whole evening, or if she isn't maybe it's just Gendry being her friend just like he has been for years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was supposed to be two chapters, but now it's three. Sorry not sorry. I've been working way too much because of the corona situation and also this chapter was getting pretty long, but I just wanted to get this first part posted already.

Should she text him? 

_He hasn't texted me._

Maybe just something casual? Something she'd text him even if last night hadn't happened? 

_Does it mean something that he hasn't texted?_

"You could at least pretend that you're interested in me," Sansa says. After three long hours of searching for dresses and shoes and accessories for Robb’s wedding they are now having a late lunch.

Arya lifts her eyes from her phone. 

"Sorry," she mutters, pushing the phone further on the table. 

It’s all good, she tells herself. 

"Did something happen last night? Did you stay out late?" Sansa asks.

Arya shrugs. 

"Nothing much. Got drenched on the way home and Gendry had to come to my place because it was raining so much," she tells her sister before she has time to think about it too much. 

But if a slight panic passes through her as she wonders if she has said too much, Sansa doesn't appear to notice anything for she continues casually.

"Did you just kick Gendry out when I called?" 

"Left him there," Arya says. Sansa is still unbothered by all this information. And why would she not be, it's not that abnormal that Gendry would sleep on her couch, it has happened before and Sansa has slept on that same couch as well when she has been too tired to go home. 

It feels tempting. She could tell Sansa about last night. She almost wants to tell her. Wants to laugh and act silly with her sister like they always do when they talk about sex, wants to have Sansa fish for details, wants to admit that it had been very nice indeed. 

But Sansa doesn't ask any more questions so Arya doesn't tell anything. 

  
  
  
  
  


Jon and Robb are already squabbling over the possession of the tongs next to the barbeque when Arya steps out of the back door of her parents house and into the garden. Gendry stands near the barbeque holding his beer, watching with Bran as the oldest Stark siblings argue.

As if he can hear her across the yard and over the noises made by the entire extended Stark family, Gendry lifts his head and in an instant his eyes find hers. He shoots her a smile and Arya finds it very easy to match her own expression to that. 

She had eventually texted him, sending him some stupid article about bachelor parties gone terribly wrong, telling Gendry to be careful when it's time for Robb's party. Acting normal, she thinks, _just doing what we always do_. And when his answer was that he doesn't have anything to worry about since he knows he'll have her there to look after him – well, that's just friendly banter, nothing more. 

So Arya forces herself to act normal as she makes her way towards the grill, joining the friday night barbeque session her parent have agreed their adult children can have at their garden. 

“Come help me stop Jon from ruining all our food,” Robb pleads as he sees Arya approaching. Arya shakes her head at the two of them. 

Of course, all the Stark kids – as Ned and Cat still call their children, the biological ones and the others as well – plus their significant others and some close friends, being gathered in the same place, makes up for a evening full of noise and bantering. Arya notices her parents have chosen to reside in the swing on the porch for the time being, observing the situation from a safe distance. 

“It’s barbecuing, just make sure the chicken is well done and that none of the food is too burned, there’s really not that much more to it and only the two of you can fail it,” she tells her brothers.

“I can’t believe you’re actually friends with these losers,” she says turning to face Gendry.

Jon and Robb express their protests while Arya keeps her gaze locked with Gendry's.

"Well you're _related_ to them so I do think the joke's on you," he answers. 

"Yeah but I'm cute," she says.

"Hey I'm cute, too," Jon says as Robb mumbles a "you wish" under his breath. 

Jon pretends to pout and Arya reaches to ruffle his hair. 

"Nice try Snow but we all know I'm way cuter than you." 

Gendry chuckles. 

"Sorry Jon, I have to agree with Arya on this one," he says with his eyes intent on her. They move from her eyes, sweeping lower, seemingly taking in all of her in her short, loose top and shorts. When his eyes return to her face she lifts an eyebrow, still smiling at him, and sees his lips quirk up just a bit. Yes, she's pretty sure he's thinking about her with less clothes on. 

And then he is leaning close to her. 

"Maybe we should just let him think he's the cutest so this won't crush him," Gendry whispers, loud enough for Jon and Robb to hear, but close enough for his breath to tickle her ear. It sends a shiver down her neck and she can’t help thinking of his lips in the exact same spot his breath is now teasing.

"Okay cutie," Robb interrupts their moment. "We need a serving plate or two and the rest of the beers are still inside. Could you please go get those, Arya?" 

"Fine. I'll get the plates," Arya nods. "Gendry, you can come and carry the drinks, doesn't look like you're doing anything useful here." 

It’s getting dark when Arya carries a pile of blankets to be spread around the firepit. 

Again, her eyes find Gendry's. And again, there he is, watching her.

It’s as though everywhere she looks there's Gendry. Or maybe it's rather that where ever he is, her eyes seem to find him and his gaze seems to set on her, like some weird magnetic connection is affecting their eyes, making sure they keep connected as much as possible. 

Every time they find each other in close vicinity, the same pull appears to force them to move even closer. When he steps past her, his hand glides across her back, when she asks him to pass her a beer her hand lingers on his forearm. Somehow there's a lot of things he needs to tell just her, leaning closer to her ear, speaking in a low, soft voice, breath tickling her neck. And when she needs to find a seat there always happens to be enough space next to him and it always happens to be so close that some part of their bodies touch. 

Sitting in the circle surrounding the fire pit Gendry shifts next to her, leaning back, his arms behind him, hands resting on the blanket. Arya straightens her legs in front of her and leans her weight on her hands too, the same way Gendry does. From her peripheral she can see Gendry shifting slightly again, swaying, his body inching just a little bit towards hers. And then his hand moves a little so that their fingers are touching.

They stay there, sitting, listening to the chatter going on just like it has all night. Arya takes a sip of her beer and tries to figure out what it is that Theon is actually talking about on the opposite side of the pit. But all she can focus on is the feel of Gendry’s fingers, the warmth radiating from them, the gentle press of them against her own.

Maybe it’s just an accident, she thinks. They are, after all, sitting in a pretty tight circle. There’s not that much space and Sansa is sitting almost as close to her on the other side after all. Maybe she's imagining it all, this whole evening, or if she isn't maybe it's just Gendry being her friend just like he has been for years. 

And yet, the press of his hand is still there and she has to brave a peek at him. Gendry must notice her turning her head because he shifts his eyes to meet hers. Arya can’t really read the look on his face – or at least she’s not sure if what she thinks he’s thinking is what he’s actually thinking. Because if she’d have to take a guess she’d say he is thinking about her in exactly the same way that she is thinking about him. That he wants her just as much.

She keeps her eyes on him for a few inhales and exhales but then it feels like it’s too much and she has to turn back to face the fire. But there’s a smile on her face as she does so and she’s pretty sure Gendry can see that.

Arya can still feel his eyes on her but even more she can feel his hand moving on the blanket behind them, his fingers sliding over hers, his thumb brushing her hand and she really has to focus on her breathing to stay calm.

It’s so innocent, just like awkward teenagers touching each other, but still the small act makes her whole arm tingle. It’s like the touch is sending all the memories of what his hands did to her that night at her apartment rushing up her arm. His hand on hers, so deliberate in that small gesture. 

She eyes the group around the fire, various conversations going on, everybody looking like they are enjoying themselves, none of them really paying any attention to Arya or Gendry right at that moment. So she takes this chance to lean closer to him, asking quietly enough to not raise too much attention but loud enough for it to pass as nothing but casual conversation between friends. 

"You drove here, right?" 

"Yeah," he nods, eyes flicking back to the rest of the group before they return to her. 

"I was just thinking I might leave soon, so I thought…" she trails off. He is watching her carefully, waiting for her to continue, so she does. 

"You know, if you'd give me a drive home." 

She sees him swallow and nod before he can make out the words. 

"Sure. Whenever you wanna go." 

The first thing Arya notices when she wakes up the following morning isn't that she is alone in her bed but that there’s a smell of coffee drifting from her kitchen. She sits up looking around her room and notices Gendry's sweater still hanging on the back of the chair next to her desk. 

She thinks back to last night, the way Gendry had been kissing her neck as she fumbled with her keys, trying to open her front door and the way she had pushed him on the bed and climbed on top of him the second they were inside her bedroom. She thinks the way his hand had slid from her waist to her hip and from her hip to the inside of her thigh when she had returned to the bed after brushing her teeth, and how she had felt herself get restless all over again. And she thinks how he had moved excruciatingly slow in and out of her during their last round of sex before they finally fell asleep.

By the sounds she can hear and the smell of coffee it appears Gendry has taken the liberty of treating her kitchen as he likes and is making breakfast. The thought is enough to get her to step out of the bed. 

Gendry has his back to the door as Arya makes her way into the kitchen. She stops for a second to silently appreciate him, standing there making a sandwich in his t-shirt and jeans, bare foot, his hair a mess. 

_Because I made it a mess_ , she thinks as an image of her hands grabbing that hair while his head moves between her thighs flashes through her mind. 

She shakes the thought away and steps in to the kitchen as Gendry turns around and greets her with a smile. 

”Hope you don’t mind but you were snoring and I had to get some coffee before my head started hurting,” he says gesturing to the coffee machine.

”I don’t snore,” she tells him reaching for the pot and pouring herself a mug. ”But I also don’t mind someone else cooking my coffee, so it’s okay.”

She grabs one of the sandwiches on the counter, not bothering to ask if Gendry made them both for himself or if he had planned to serve her a proper breakfast instead of just coffee.

They eat on opposite sides of her kitchen island, him standing up, her on a stool, both lost in their own thoughts for a while. But Arya knows she really can’t avoid this conversation indefinitely, so when Gendry goes to the bedroom to get his phone and sweater, she decides to just go for it.

“Are we good?” she asks, hesitantly, as Gendry returns to the kitchen.

“I mean, I don’t wanna have things weird between us. It’s been… fun.” 

“Yeah,” Gendry nods, swallowing nervously, fumbling with the sweater he just set at the counter but raising his head to search her eyes.

Arya meets his eyes briefly, not daring to look for too long, afraid for what she might see in them. Although, if she’s being honest to herself, she’s not exactly sure what she might find scariest – and if there’s a part of her that is actually wishing to see that _something_.

“I…” Arya starts again, but it feels absurdly hard to get the words out. She tries to focus herself and takes a deep breath.

“I mean, I’m cool with this, whatever this is so if it’s fine with you we could just…” she shrugs. “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken, or something like that?”

Gendry blinks at her and for a second she thinks he’s going to tell her no, tell her that it’s not what he wants. The weird feeling is there again – the not knowing what she actually wishes he would say. But then he seems to make up his mind and nods.

“Okay,” he turns to pick up his shirt. “That’s cool.”

Arya has a feeling there's something he isn't saying but she lets it go, deciding to take the other route. 

"On that note, you can stay for a while if your not busy." 

Gendry turns around, his hands already inside his sweater, eyebrows raised in question. Arya bites her lips to stop herself from grinning too wide and tilts her head. 

Their eyes are locked and she knows he's not leaving anytime soon. 


	3. Nothing serious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meera’s words stick with her through the night. Yes, she has been spending a lot of time with Gendry. They have been friends for long and it’s not anything out of the ordinary for them to hang out, just the two of them, or text each other about nothing really, just sending random links and telling the other one how their day has been. But this has been different, she can’t deny that. And as many times as she has said it’s all just fun, it’s becoming harder and harder to explain all of this as such – to everyone else, but most of all to herself.
> 
> The thing is, though, that this is what they agreed on and this is what she wanted. She had no intention of starting a serious relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning: there's no tag for a happy ending in this part - for that you'll have to read Can't help.

The sun is slowly descending, the drinks are cold and there’s chips, so in Arya’s opinion this is a pretty decent evening already. It’s game night at Jon’s and while they wait for the rest of the people to arrive, Jon and Arya hang out on his balcony, enjoying the warmth of the evening. Jon leans against the railing, stretching his hands over his head. Arya can feel his eyes on her as she checks the new message on her phone and can’t stop herself from smiling.

“Okay, spill it,” Jon demands.

“Spill what?” Arya asks as innocently as she can. But she can’t fool Jon, she’s never been able to. The two of them know each other too well not to notice when something’s going on.

“Who are you texting?” he asks in a way that makes Arya guess he already has a pretty good idea who it is. And well, there’s really no point of trying to hide it since Jon will find out – he already _has_ found out, it seems.

“Gendry,” she says, like it’s no big deal – and really, it’s not, is it? They are friends, they text, Jon texts with Gendry himself – probably not about exactly the same stuff they were just discussing, but nevertheless – so there really is nothing to hide here.

Jon looks at her like he is waiting for her to elaborate but she just reaches for the bowl of chips on the table. Jon’s not letting it go that easily.

“So spill it,” he insist. “You’re smiling like a moron and besides, I know you two have been hanging out a lot lately, so tell me. What’s the deal with you two?”

Arya washes down the chips as she tries to come up with an answer. What is it that they are doing, really? And how much of it does she want to explain to Jon who, after all, is one of Gendry’s best friends, too.

“Just having fun, nothing serious,” she days as casually as possible. When Jon doesn’t appear satisfied, she adds “Don’t think you’ll want to know much more.”

Jon nods.

“Okay,” he says, seemingly trying to find the right words “Just… I don’t know, just thought you could tell me if you like him or something.”

Arya rolls her eyes, but she can feel herself blushing a bit all the same.

“I know I can tell you but really, it’s nothing serious. It’s good, we’re good, it’s not a huge thing, just… casual.”

“Okay,” he says again, still looking a bit unsure but dropping the subject for now.

  
  
  


A little later in the evening Arya finds Gendry reaching in to the fridge as she walks in the kitchen. Seeing her, he grabs another beer and passes it to her.

"Trying to get me drunk to get in my pants, are you?" Arya asks. 

"Isn't that a skirt you are wearing?" Gendry shoots back.

"Yes it is," she smiles, stepping dangerously close to him. "And you don't need any alcohol to get under it."

"For crying out loud Arya!" Jon groans, choosing that unfortunate moment to walk in. "Can't you just spare me from the details?" 

"That wasn't details. Details would be telling what exactly I want Gendry doing under the skirt."

Gendry tries to stifle a laugh while Jon shakes his head. Arya shoots Gendry a look before poking her tongue out at Jon, leaving the two guys alone in the kitchen, both looking a little awkward. They can deal with it, she decides.

  
  
  
  
  


"I wish you wouldn't talk to me like that in front of Jon," Gendry says as they enter her apartment. 

"We had the most awkward conversation of my life in the kitchen after you left." 

Arya shakes her head.

"It's just Jon. He can deal with it," she says. "And he knew, didn't he?" 

"Yeah I think he did but you could still avoid talking about that stuff when he's right there." 

"Oh stop being such a prude," she tells him, slapping his arm.

She is surprised by Gendry’s fast movement as he grabs her hips and pulls her against him.

“I’m not being a prude,” he murmurs in her ear as he starts sucking at the skin right below her ear.

Arya wants to respond to him, tell him he _is_ being a prude if he complains like Jon about her saying anything related to sex, but the words don’t come to mind as he forces her to step back and pins her between his own body and the wall.

“And it’s not just for Jon’s sake I hope you wouldn’t talk about anything happening under your skirt when there are other people around us,” he says between kisses.

His lips are rough on her and his hands hold her hips firmly and the thought crosses her mind that maybe teasing Gendry isn’t such a bad idea if it makes him react like this. Where he normally always makes so sure she is okay with everything by asking more than once, now his fingers are already slipping under her skirt to pull her to him, his hand holding the back of her tight, fingers sliding between her legs.

“Bedroom,” Arya manages to breath out when she feels her legs won’t keep her upright for much longer with the way he’s going and they stumble through the doorway. When they stop for a moment next to her bed, her fingers start working on the buttons of his jeans, pushing the pants down his hips and cupping him through his boxers. He steps back enough to pull them off and then take off his shirt and she uses the time to get rid of her own shirt and skirt.

Gendry’s hands move behind her to take off her bra and then hastily yank off her panties too before he pushes her down to the bed and joins her. He acts like he’s in a hurry, like if he wastes on second too long to do this it will be too late. His lips touch sloppily on hers for just a moment before he rises up again.

“Turn around,” he tells her, his hands moving her body and the second she is on her stomach she can feel him on top of her again, hovering on his arms so he can press kisses to her neck and shoulders. And then he sits up, straddling her, his hands pressing into her skin as he slides them from her ribs, down her back and over her ass to her thighs and up again.

There’s something so very arousing in the way he tells her what to do, how his hands hold her, steady and firm on her body, making sure she does exactly as he likes. As if he’s not giving her any choice even though she knows if she’d just say the word, he'd stop it. She feels secure, she _always_ feels secure with Gendry so when his hands slide on her roughly, it's only that much more thrilling. He's calling the shots right now, taking charge of this whole situation and she's never felt more eager to let anyone do that for her. 

She can see him reaching for her nightstand and getting a condom from there, but then he’s behind her again and it’s hard to stay still anymore. Not knowing what it is exactly what he is doing, it makes the situation even more exciting. She feels his hand on her hip again, his lips kissing her side before she hears the sound of him tearing open the condom wrapper. 

He grabs her hips and pulls her up on her knees, pushing her up on the bed, towards the wall and following, standing on his knees behind her. He pulls her hips towards his and rubs himself against her, his hand coming around her to her stomach and sliding down between her legs.

“Fuck, I love it when you're this wet,” he says as he touches her, slides his fingers on her, his mouth so close to her ear she can feel his lips as he speaks, his voice low.

“Put your hands on the wall,” he commands her and she obeys him without a question.

“Someone’s being bossy today,” she says and she can hear hear him chuckling quietly.

He presses the front of his body against her, pushing her hair out of the way as he leans his head to her neck and sucks on it before lining himself against her.

“Just really wanna fuck you,” he whispers as he pushes inside her, and the sound of his words combined to that sensation make her choke out a long moan.

Arya needs a moment to catch her breath as the feeling of him seems to overtake every ounce of her being. 

"You know for a prude you do have a wonderfully filthy mouth," she mutters. 

He holds her hands even firmer against the wall and his voice is a growl in her ear. 

"Shut up," he tells her, moving his other hand to hold her hip tight as he starts moving in and out of her with more force. She lets her head fall back to lean on his shoulder, unable to really do much more than to just focus on not collapsing down on the bed. 

She doesn’t know if it’s just this position or what but he feels bigger and harder and just so perfect that she feels like she could come already even though they just started. And she wants to tell him all of this but it feels impossible to get any coherent words out anymore.

Gendry must be feeling pretty much the same, since all he does is continue his frenzied movement and mutter a very low _Fuck, Arya_ in her ear. And if she wasn’t already being pushed over the edge that is what finally makes her lose it and she feels herself clench around him. After that she isn’t sure anymore if she’s actually coming again or if it’s just one long orgasm or what it is that it’s happening, since she can’t really think anymore, she just knows he feels better than he has ever felt, sliding in and out of her, sucking on her neck, still holding her tightly against the wall and against himself. 

She has no idea how long it lasts – probably not too long but she really has lost all count of time – but finally Gendry’s grip first tightens just a little bit more and then he stills against her and she can feel herself clenching uncontrollably around him while he’s coming, the whiteness filling her vision beneath her eyelids as she tries to catch her breath. He’s taking deep breaths, too, leaning his forehead against the back of her head, raising his other hand to the wall too for support before he sinks back on his haunches pulling her down with him so she is sitting on his lap.

He holds her there as their breathing calms down and then lets her get down on the bed, following her, gathering her in his arms and just basking silently in the afterglow because there really is nothing to say in a moment like this. 

  
  
  
  
  


Gendry holds the door to the pub open for Arya as she walks in. She can already spot Meera sitting by the bar and Jon and Ygritte at a table near the back. 

Meera raises her eyebrows in a question as they reach the bar and place their orders. As soon as he has paid for theirs beers Gendry leaves to go join Jon and Ygritte at the table.

“You’re late,” Meera tells Arya. “Had something better to do?” she asks, teasing.

“Maybe I did,” Arya answers smugly, glancing quickly at Gendry. Meera follows her gaze.

“So he’s just something to do, is that it?”

Arya shrugs.

“It’s just fun,” she says what seems to have become her standard answer to this particular question, gesturing for Meera come with her to join the others. 

When they get to the table, Gendry scoots back on the booth to make some room and Arya sits down beside him while Meera takes a seat on the opposite side. 

"We were just talking about Robb's party,” Jon explains. “I was thinking we could maybe start at noon.”

Planning Robb’s bachelor party had been going on for some weeks now, and they seemed to have no shortage of activities they wanted to get done.

“But weren’t you going to meet your dad at lunch?” Arya asks turning to Gendry.

Gendry starts explaining how he certainly would not mind telling his father he could not meet for lunch that day but Arya is distracted by Meera’s curious gaze from the other side of the table.

What is it? she tries asking with her eyes but Meera just shakes her head smiling a little. So Arya tries to ignore her and focus back on the conversation on how to best surprise Robb.

  
  
  


Arya and Meera are at the pool table, talking to a bearded guy around their age about a possible match between them and the guy and a friend of his when Gendry walks up to them, placing a new drink in Arya’s hand.

“Thought you’d like one,” he explains and is granted with a thanks and a brush of her hand on his arm.

“We’ll just play one more game and then we’ll join you at the table,” Arya tells him. 

When he’s gone, Meera hmpfs meaningfully.

“He didn’t bother buying me drinks.”

Arya rolls her eyes, trying to disregard Meera's words. 

"You already had a drink."

“It was the second time he did that tonight,” Meera points out.

“It’s still nothing.”

But Meera doesn’t give up that easily, she never does when she wants to get something said. And Arya already has a pretty good guess what it is that she wants to get said.

“You came here together, like a couple, " Meera says, raising a finger like she's counting. 

"He’s buying you drinks, like you are a couple, " - she raises another finger to mark that and Arya rolls her eyes. 

"You just happen to sit next to him every time and you seem to know everything about his schedule." 

Meera now has four fingers raised and she keeps going on.

"I think that's awfully lot like what couples do," she says - "He even comes to check on you the second another man says a word to you.”

Arya really doesn’t have an answer to that so they wait quietly for a moment while the guy with the beard arranges the pool table for a new game and Arya contemplates Meera's words. Meera seems to take the hint and decides to guide the conversation into a less serious direction. 

“So the sex?” Meera asks between sips of her drink. “Is it grumpy?”

Arya has to laugh at her friend but then she thinks of the way Gendry had told her to shut up the other night, the tone in his voice one that in another situation might easily have been mistaken for angry but at that moment had just made it all the better when he held her hands firmly against the wall as he moved behind her.

“Not always.”

  
  
  


Meera’s words stick with her through the night. Yes, she has been spending a lot of time with Gendry. They have been friends for long and it’s not anything out of the ordinary for them to hang out, just the two of them, or text each other about nothing really, just sending random links and telling the other one how their day has been. But this has been different, she can’t deny that. And as many times as she has said it’s all just fun, it’s becoming harder and harder to explain all of this as such – to everyone else, but most of all to herself.

The thing is, though, that this is what they agreed on and this is what she wanted. She had no intention of starting a serious relationship. Yes, her mother has mentioned “settling down” on more than one occasion, but that was not something Arya was planning on doing. No, she’s had her fair share of not-so-great relationships where she only ended feeling like the other person was restricting her. And she’s seen what people close to her have gone through and frankly most of that does not speak too well for romantic relationships in general.

No, she certainly does not want to spend her time trying to adjust her schedule or her interests to someone else’s. She does not want to feel like she’s doing something wrong if she just hangs out with her friends or spends a whole weekend hiking with Jon instead of spending “couples time” (even the thought of that term makes her want to run away from anything coming close to commitment). She does not want to feel bad or wonder if she’s doing something wrong when she speaks to someone in a way that could be considered as flirting. She does not want to deal with jealousy, or trust issues or double standards either. And she does not want to feel like she needs to change who she is.

So no, she does not want a relationship, no matter how much fun she is having with Gendry. This arrangement of theirs is just perfect, isn’t it? They have great sex and they can still hang out just like they always did, and she is still free to come and go as she likes, hang out with whoever she wants to, and she doesn’t need to feel tied down

 _Except,_ a voice in her head is nagging. Didn’t Meera just say something about knowing each others schedules and him interrupting when another man speaks to her? 

_That's awfully lot like what couples do._

  
  
  


Her companion looks up just as she feels a hand on her arm. Gendry is standing behind her, leaning close as she sits on the bar stool. 

"What's up?" she asks, tilting her head back enough to meet his gaze and leaning her elbow on the bar for balance. 

"Not much," he shrugs. ”Just…” he trails off and she raises her eyebrows in a silent question of his intentions.

”I was gonna call it a night soon,” he tells Arya.

”Oh, okay,” she nods, waiting for him to continue since it seems obvious there’s something more to his words than the need to announce his impending departure.

He throws her a look as it should not need saying, as if she’s an idiot for not picking up on the innuendo behind his words.

”I just thought if you were planning on getting home, too...”

Right.

She glances back to the guy she was talking with who by now seems to wonder what to make of the whole situation.

Gendry asks the passing bartender for a glass of water and while he’s at it, Arya relaxes her face and turns back to the man she was talking to who looks really bewildered by now. She tries to smile assuringly but the guy does not look convinced.

”I…” he begins. ”I didn’t realize you were with someone”, he says carefully.

”That you _live_ with someone”, he adds, emphasizing the word live.

_Oh._

She laughs and the man is even more confused.

”I don’t live with him and he’s just a friend,” she explains.

”But he said… about going home…”

Arya shakes her head.

”We share a cab home often, we live in the same direction. He just meant it as in, me to my home and he to his own,” she says, gesturing with her hand towards Gendry and the direction both of their homes are.

Gendry has gotten his water and clears his throat beside her. When she looks at him he looks as broody as ever and there’s something more, too, but this really isn’t the moment to try to figure out what exactly is on his mind.

”I’ll come by the table in a minute,” she promises Gendry in an attempt to dismiss him.

”See what everyone’s plans are,” she adds as an explanation.

Gendry looks her straight in the eyes for a beat, a question in his eyes and also like he still has something he wants to say but she stares right back at him, willing him to leave already. When she purses her lips and tilts her head just the tiniest bit towards the rest of the bar he finally accepts the message, nods and turns to walk back to the table.

  
  
  
  


”Okay, everybody heading home?” Arya asks as she steps out of the pub to the street where Gendry stands, waiting.

"Jon and Ygritte said they wanted to get some pizza but I'm gonna just head home." 

Arya notices Gendry is not really meeting her eyes and he seems to be in a foul mood.

”Your new friend still at the bar?” he asks.

She furrows her forehead, searching for his meaning. His face looks… Accusing, maybe. Meera's words from earlier come back to her. 

_"He doesn't like any other men even talking to you."_

The thought disturbs her. 

_We're not even together. He doesn't own me. I can talk to anyone I like._

She crosses her arm defiantly. 

"He's not my 'new friend'. He was on my Medieval history classes," she shrugs. It's really no explanation but somehow saying she has no intentions on spending any more time with that guy feels like admitting defeat. Of what, she's not sure, but she decides to ignore it.

"You don't feel like getting pizza?” she probes. 

"No."

Arya furrows her eyebrows. 

Gendry is acting evasive. It's annoying her. 

"What's up with you?" 

"Nothing." 

Arya huffs at him and raises her eyebrows in an attempt to show him that was not a sufficient answer. 

"Weren't you going to leave with that guy there?" Gendry asks again.

"He's just someone who used to be in some of my classes in the uni. Like I just told you.”

His attitude is riling her up more and more and she just can't stay calm anymore. 

"And what the fuck are you doing getting angry at me for talking to other people?" 

"You don't think it would be nice to at least tell me if you're planning on going home with someone else?" Gendry throws back at her. 

“I never said I was going home with him and I'm sorry _when_ did we make the deal to be the default option for each other every fucking time?” she snaps. ”But for your information if i was having sex with multiple people at the same time I would tell you. That's just common courtesy even if you think I'm incapable of that.”

Gendry scratches the back of his neck and looks uncomfortable, but he’s quiet now and Arya doesn’t really know what to say anymore. How did this night turn like this when it had started out so nicely? Why are they even having this conversation?

"I don't know what's up with you but it's fucking annoying," she tells him, trying her hardest to keep her voice calm. Because she will not, absolutely not, start a screaming match in front of a pub. She'll stay calm and treat this whole situation as it is; a misunderstanding between two people – two friends – and nothing more. No, this absolutely is not some huge thing. None of what they are doing is. 

" Just. Maybe we should just… Stop this, all of this,” she offers.

“Arya…” he starts but she cuts him off. He’s said enough tonight, she decides.

”We said as long as we were having fun so we wouldn't change anything and now… " she looks up at him. He’s looking at her with an expression she can’t read and not saying anything. So she has no choice but to continue.

”We should just be like we were. Just normal, right?”

_Right?_

“We'll be friends and we'll hang out, and stuff.” 

Gendry puts his hands into his pocket awkwardly, looking at his feet, shaking his head as if to clear his thought. 

" Yeah…" 

"Yeah," she says, just to say something. 

"So…" Gendry is looking weird, almost like sad, or something like that, but he’s still not saying anything and he mostly still keeps his eyes at his feet.

"So I guess we'll… Text or something?" she shrugs.

"Okay." 

"Okay." 

She takes one last look at him, still standing there and looking awkward, kicking the ground. 

”Okay,” he says once more, and his voice isn’t much more than a whisper. It makes her throat tighten, so she just nods and turns around as, very conveniently, the pub door opens and Jon and Ygritte step out. 

"You guys ready?" Ygritte asks. 

"Yeah, we're done," Gendry says quietly before he nods his goodbyes, turns around and starts walking away. 

”See you,” Arya mumbles. She has a feeling she has messed up pretty bad, but she shakes the feeling off as best she can and tries to focus on deciding where they are getting the pizza. 

_It’s nothing_ , she tells herself. _Definitely not a big deal._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now for that happy ending there's one (or at least almost) in Can't help, and I'm pretty sure I'll post a third part with all the fluff at some point. It's already partly written, but I want to work on some other stuff first.
> 
> Thanks for reading. It's both wonderful and terrible to be writing again and I'm still overly conscious and uncertain about my English, but I'm getting used to it.


End file.
